All couples want their special day to be perfect, but a picture-perfect wedding takes time, research and plenty of planning.

Thankfully, it’s wedding expo season in the Los Angeles area, which means brides- and grooms-to-be can make a one-stop visit to meet dozens of wedding professionals and vendors for inspiration and expertise.

“From the start to the finish, you want to help the couple capture all the special moments of their day,” said Julia Hill, event planner with Kallisto Events in Fontana.

Hill is just one of more than 45 vendors expected to attend Down the Aisle Wedding Style, a wedding expo set for Sunday at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

“From the food to the flowers, to the lighting to the decorations, you want to help make their vision a reality — their dream come true — and have it so the bride doesn’t have to worry about a thing,” she said.

Experts like Hill keep up on current trends and say this year’s theme has a rich, earthy quality thanks to 2015’s signature color, marsala, a naturally robust and earthy wine red hue that has shown up in everything from bridesmaids gowns to groomsmen accessories.

To compleiment the earthy color, loose flowers with lots of greenery have also become very popular, with brides requesting cascading bouquets mixed with many textures as well as centerpieces assembled in the same vein, Hill said.

Usable — even edible — party favors also have abecome more and more popular over the years as couples keep sustainablity in mind.

This season, popcorn bars are taking the place of candy tables and other sweet-treat trends.

“Popcorn has so many different choices — sweet and savory chocolate, caramel, salt and vinegar; there’s a million flavors,” Hill said. “Guests can fill their own bags and enjoy a snack.”

Another sweet treat couples focus on is the wedding cake. While cupcakes were a fun alternative over recent years, Hill said the traditional cake is making a comeback.

“Couples are moving away from doing cupcakes and pies for wedding cakes and getting back into traditional layered wedding cakes — with a twist,” said Susie Mendoza, award-winning baker/cake decorator and owner of Havan A Taste bakery in Rancho Cucamonga. “Instead of just white cake and vanilla frosting they’re choosing flavors and the cakes are as delicious as they are beautiful.”

Mendoza carries dozens of flavors, from dark chocolate to champagne and creaem cheese, and is always adding more. She’s even created new flavors for couples who have a certain taste in mind.

“You can really get creative. You can have an almond cake with a strawberry filling and champagne frosting — delicious,” she said, adding that square cakes mixed with round layers are trending as well as lacey cake decorations.

Grooms cakes also continue to be an important part of the reception fare, adding a masculine side to the affair, Mendoza said.

“In the South there’s a lot of guns, duck hunting and armadillos. Here, it’s more watches and sports teams,” she said of the grooms cakes.

Hill saw live bands have a resurgence in 2014 following the popularity of “The Great Gatsby” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, that showcased elegant parties. This year, however, DJs are back. But her advice, whether using a live band or DJ: “Just make sure you get a great emcee.”

“It’s all these little details that make the day one to remember,” she said.

And what better way to capture those memories than with fun photos that can be shared with family and friends via socia media.

Photo booths like PicturePOD, an Orange County-based photobooth rental company, offers social media integrated photo booths that take color photos and video messages that can be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Rentals like those with PicturePod comes with an attendant and a large selection of props, including hats, glasses, boas, scarves and wigs. PicturePOD offers several packages, backgrounds and a green screen that can transform any venue into an exotic location.

Kristie Nicols, coordinator for the Down the Aisle Wedding Style expo, said such events give vendors and couples the opportunity to connect in person. Weddings take an average of six months to a year to plan and it’s important to establish a good relationship with a person and/or business that will play such a vital role in a memorable life event.

Nicols and the Cultural Center team has worked hard to go beyond the traditional expo, to make it a fun event.

“We have games, crafts, a cake dive where we hide a ring in a cake and have the brides dive for it,” Nicols said. We have so much to do people can come and stay all day.”